What was said to the Rose
that made it open was said to me
here in my chest.

What was told the Cypress
that made it strong and straight.
What was whispered the Jasmine,
so it is what it is.

﻿

Whatever made sugarcane sweet.
Whatever was said to the inhabitants
of the town of Chigil in Turkestan
that makes them so handsome.
Whatever lets the pomegranate flower blush like a human face,
that is being said to me now.

I blush.

Whatever put eloquence in language,
that's happening here.
The great warehouse doors open,
I fill with gratitude,
chewing a piece of sugarcane,
in love with the one
to whom every that belongs.

What Was Said to the Rose by Rumi, 13th century poet & Sufi mystic
translation by Coleman Barks